(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a new or improved speedometer conversion arrangement whereby the speedometer drive can be rapidly converted so that the readout of the speedometer instrument is changed from one scale to another, e.g. from miles per hour (Mph) to kilometers per hour (Kph).
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Vehicles sold in Canada and in other countries must have speedometer drives that are calibrated to give a readout in kilometers per hour whereas for use in the United States of America the readout must be in miles per hour. It is of course possible on a dial type speedometer instrument to include both a Kph and a Mph scale arranged concentrically with respect to an angularly rotatable movable needle so that the vehicle operator can read out the speed from either scale as desired. This arrangement however has some drawbacks, not the least of which is the difficulty for the operator to distinguish between the two scales. Of course one scale may be given greater prominence than the other, but then the operator is at even more of a disadvantage when the vehicle is being used in a jurisdiction where the secondary scale of his speedometer is in fact the one which is of legal effect in respect of posted speed limits and the like.
The aim of this invention is to provide a speedometer system particularly although not exclusively suitable for use in vehicles such as snowmobiles, where the dial type instrument displays only a single scale, but where the speedometer system is readily adaptable so that the indicator scale is a readout of kilometers per hour or miles per hour selectively.